#[ blind obsession // ishmael ]

[phntasmgoria]

redoing the tags for my project moon muses so i can have them all in one place, especially since i just got new ones added lol

#[ i have nothing but my sorrow // roland ] #[ o my sorrow‚ you are better than a well beloved // angelica ] #[ carry me from a false deliverance // angela ] #[ as above‚ so below // malkuth ] #[ the right hand of god // chesed ] #[ manifested glory // hod ] #[ dark cloud blade // sayo ] #[ a harmonious balance // tiphereth ] #[ the essence of judgement and limitation // gebura ] #[ forlorn artistry // netzach ] #[ everywhere that i go‚ death follows me // thanatos ] #[ they're killing me when i'm fast asleep // hypnos ] #[ fly‚ broken wings // yi sang ] #[ i know exactly why i walk and talk like a machine // gregor samsa ] #[ feigning silence through a holy fate // faust ] #[ may these flames burn your wickedness // ryoshu ] #[ lady luck might even be on your side // rodya ] #[ i'm calling to know the world's true yearning // sinclair ] #[ i am nobody ; nothing at all // outis ] #[ the gilded lily // yuri ] #[ mechanical hands are the ruler of everything // dante ] #[ blind obsession // ishmael ] #[ with each bite does your sanity die // kromer ] #[ like fallen petals // dongbaek ] #[ young lady of jade // odelia samsa | jia mingyu ] #[ scorched dark child // yoshika ] #[ oh darling‚ don't you ever grow up // wendy darling ] #[ people turn on you just like the wind // eurydice ] #[ i am not an angel // jane eyre ]

[andromedako]

u know theyre a chara important to u when u cant think abt them too deep without almost crying bc theyre just so. oughh. theyre a genuine fucking tragedy

#emil.rtf #aka the reason i see ishmael and go 'wifey i love her' instead of analyzing her to shreds like i do anyone else #i think abt her too long and im almost bawling shes such a good character. shes a living tragedy. #thinking abt her reflections/connections to her source. her mirroring of not just narrator ishmael but also like ahab in her obsession in- #finding. well u know what its obvious. her blindness to everything else just to persue revenge. #and her connections beyond that to ismail/ishmael from genesis. which is seen a lot more looking at her connections To narrator ishmael but #i could make a post. but im sure some ppl can word it better than me. #i NEED to find parallels between her and ismail tho i need to bc i KNOW they exist

[balis77]

Limbus Faust Theory Time

Ok, so I've been thinking about this for a while. Ever since someone on Limbus' TvTropes page pointed out some Faust (Book) symbolism in Faust's base ego I've had this big fucking theory about Faust that I already know can't be confirmed until her Canto. And considering that (By the current order) that's gonna take like 2 years, I'm just gonna say it now.

Faust is actually a clone of the original Faust.

My evidence

Faust's symbol is a Flask. Now while Play!Faust (and the actual guy he was partially based on) was an alchemist, a flask specifically is a symbol of one character in the whole book/play; the Homunculus. The Homunculus is born as a small flame inside of a glass flask (And yes this is what Father from FMA's initial form was based on), created by Faust's (pre-deal with the devil) assistant Wagner who wishes to see the world. To this end, the Homunculus accompanies Faust and Mephistopheles to a Walpurgis Night (Sound familiar?) where they discover the wonders of nature. At the end of their segment, they shatter their flask and become one with the ocean.

It's weird that Project Moon would give Faust, based on a character who's literally the namesake for the term Faustian bargain, a symbol based on the flask instead of say, a demon. Not to mention Faust's sword saying Walpurgisnacht and her association with the in-game event. Unless of course, Faust isn't supposed to represent Faust himself, but rather the Homunculus. And that word almost universally regarded as a term for an artificial approximation of a human.

Every base EGO (Other than Rodion and Mersault for whatever reason) has a shadow across it that correlates to their respective Sinner's backstory in some way. Of the ones we have so far; Yi Sang's is a wing (Representing the wings he saw on his other self in the mirror and his status as a wing asset), Ishmael's is an anchor (Her previous status as a sailor and metaphorically her weighing herself to getting revenge on Ahab), Gregor's is a bunch of grasping hands (His experiences during the Smoke war), and Sinclair's is a tree with a snake going around it (Representing the temptation Kromer gave him that he gave into, which resulted in his family being slaughtered by her).

Faust's base EGO has the shadow of three separate people standing around her. Going off the original story, these would correlate to Faust, Wagner, and Mephistopheles standing around the Homunculus' flask. This is the specific bit pointed out by TvTropes that gave birth to this whole theory.

The abnormality EGO each character gets also tends to relate to them in some way, on a similar level to how each EGO used in a realization in Library of Ruina represented certain experiences. For example, as of the time of this writing Ishmael has Roseate Desire, Blind Obsession (Both relating to obsession and refusal to let go), Capote (Blind rage), and Ardor Blossom Star (Guidance or the lack thereof without a goal).

Faust's current EGO as of this writing include 9:2 (Forbidden knowledge), Telepole (experimentation), Hexnail (Abandonment), and Fluid Sack (Lack of direction), which in my opinion fits more with a creation trying to find their purpose in life after being free of their creator than someone willing to sell their soul for infinite knowledge.

It's mentioned that Faust rarely sleeps, and she rarely seems to be as affected by things like motion sickness or exhaustion as the other Sinners, which points towards her having some kind of inherent enhancement in some way.

The backstory of the homunculus matches with a shared desire among a lot of the other Sinners who we do know the backstory of; namely the idea of exploring the world and finding people you can truly call companions along the way.

Now, why do I think Faust is specifically a clone of the original and not say, a lab-created experiment? Well:

When we see Yi Sang's flashback to him agreeing to join the Company, we see him being recruited by someone who has to be Faust. She has the same voice actor and character name color... except we also never see her face, and the figure notably isn't identified as Faust and is instead credited as ???. Not only does the game usually explicitly identify a character as long as they've been properly introduced, but even the "But Yi Sang didn't know who it was at the time" doesn't work considering he's remembering and knows who Faust is now.

Faust is Sinner #2 instead of Sinner #1. While we can't be certain that Sinner numbers are based on recruitment order (Though there does seem to be some precedence in that Heathcliff seems to have been around when Ishmael was recruited, and he's #7 to her #8, and #10 Dante may have been recruited in their original self before Sinclair, Outis, and Gregor and simply never introduced to the group) it's odd that someone who otherwise acts as the head of the company (Recruiting Vergilius and Yi Sang, making the bus, etc.) would only be #2. In fact it's odd for that person to be in the field in the first place.

We know cloning is possible in the City, enough so that the Head outright has a law governing it. Namely, that only one copy of a person can exist within the City after week's time period. Note how that's worded. Only one copy of a person can exist within the City after a week's time period.

Conveniently, we now know the inner workings of the bus just so happen to have a portal that leads to different parts of the Outskirts.

Faust has a habit of referring to herself in third person, but she's a bit inconsistent about it. In fact, a lot of the time it happens when she's boasting of knowledge specifically. But maybe she's not saying things in third person. Maybe she's intentionally saying "Faust is a well-renowned genius" instead of "I am a well-renowned genius".

Faust being a clone would also fit with who actually runs the company itself. It doesn't seem to be the Purple Tear (The three who attack Dante in the prologue seem to be her agents) and Faust is the one who seems to give everyone instructions, including both Dante and Vergilius, yet there has to be someone coordinating all the other aspects of the company like arranging travel and the Before and After teams. But maybe it is Faust doing everything. Just not the same Faust we're interacting with.

To sum it up, I think Faust is the one running the company, but not the same Faust who's part of the Sinners. I think she made a clone of herself, imparting all her knowledge into it before going to the Outskirts to run the company from there (Just like how Ayin and Carmen had their original facility there), leaving the clone to fulfill its own desire to see the world and also take the risk involved with becoming a Sinner in her place. The reason Vergilius gives so much respect to Faust? Because she's a proxy of the original, the original who recruited him and the other Sinners in the first place. The various shady shit Faust does? All on orders from the original. Faust's constant boasting of her own knowledge in third person? She's trying to convince herself that she's as good as the original Faust instead of just a copy.

If anyone has any evidence they can think of, feel free to reblog with it.

#limbus company #limbus company faust #theory #character analysis #faust

[zundafurry]

blind obsession Ishmael

#art #limbus company #ishmael

[lu-is-not-ok]

I think the egos are supposed to be a way to kind of psychoanalyze the sinners; what do you think it means for Hong Lu to have Roseate Desire?

Ok so. Here's the thing about analyzing Hong Lu based on Roseate Desire. A Sinner having a specific E.G.O is one thing. A Sinner sharing an E.G.O with someone else while also showing distinct difference between each other is another.

Under cut because I got rambly again.

First of all, Pink Shoes is an abberration of Red Shoes, which is an abnormality that exploits one's primal desires.

Pink shoes appears to be similarly exploiting desires, according to the in-battle event, though not much is known about Pink Shoes as an abnormality, as all Abno Logs are more focused on its wearers rather than the abnormality itself (reasonably enough, I doubt the Sinners would have a reason to worry about the shoes specifically when they're being beaten to shit by ribbons and people wearing those shoes).

Based on the fact that Hong Lu shares the E.G.O with Ishmael, we can deduce that that is exactly what Roseate Desire signifies, that a Sinner using it is in some way bound (literally in this case) by their desires. With Ishmael it's implied to be the same compulsion that drives her to search for "That bastard" that is still alive, as her Roseate Desire attack very implicitly mimics that of Snagharpoon.

This is actually the first interesting thing I want to note. While for both Hong Lu and Ishmael the weapons they use in Roseate Desire are unique, there is a notable difference to How they are used.

With Ishmael, the anchor and shield are used almost exactly like the weapons we see her use in her base E.G.O.

With Hong Lu however, not only are his clawed gauntlets not resembling of anything else he uses in either E.G.Os nor IDs, they aren't even used as weapons by him.

Which, actually, brings me to my next point. Ishmael, even when corroded, is very notably In Control of Roseate Desire's ribbons. She's using them to swing the anchor around, and pulling on them to do damage. Though swaying, she's standing on her own two feet.

Notably, this is the opposite of how the ribbons treat Hong Lu. His attack animations are notably stilted, with almost doll-like movements, making it unclear if he's the one controlling the ribbons, or if the ribbons are controlling him. Add to that how his idle pose is reminiscent of a puppet, and it becomes very clear how this E.G.O further ties back to Hong Lu's themes of freedom, or lack thereof.

You could say this is further reflected in what Sin Resources the E.G.Os use. While both of them use a lot of Lust, it's notable that Ishmael's uses Wrath, a Sin associated with direct action, while Hong Lu's uses Envy, a Sin more so associated with reacting to the actions of others.

Some other small details that I'd like to note that aren't like. Major factors. But still corroberate what my final verdict is:

The amount of the pink tint singifying Pink Shoes's control over its posessee is noticeably larger on Hong Lu than on Ishmael, in both Awakening and Corrosion sprites.

Ishmael's Awakening dialogue line very explicitly has her trying to resist the Pink Shoes, with a tone of voice that is similar to her usual, while her Corroded one has seemingly given in into the temptation and completely changed how she sounds. Notably, Hong Lu has the same tone of voice across both his dialogue lines for this E.G.O, is already seemingly taken over in his Awakening line, and his Corroded line sounds more like something the shoes themselves would say rather than what someone taken over by them would.

An interesting design detail for this E.G.O is that, in both the illustration and Corroded sprites, Ishmael and Hong Lu have a different part of their face covered, that imo is symbolizing something. Ishmael has one of her eyes covered up, tying back to her one-track obsession that the Pink Shoes are exploiting by seemingly blinding her to everything that isn't her desire. Hong Lu, on the other hand, has his mouth covered up, fitting with his seeming lack of his own will when using this E.G.O.

So uh, my final Verdict? If it were just Hong Lu that had Roseate Desire, I would say that he's easily controlled by his own whims and say that we can't get a better read on him than that because we don't have enough information about him.

HOWEVER! This isn't the case. In fact, being able to compare his Roseate Desire to Ishmael's completely changes the context here. The desires that are controlling him aren't his own, they're what other people want of him. That's why he's moving like a puppet, that's why his version uses Envy, that's why his Corroded sprite has a covered up mouth and has him speak for the Shoes themselves.

Hong Lu's Roseate Desire implies he's the type to buckle and follow whatever other people tell him to do. Which, well, isn't that far off from what we know about him. Hell, even Kurokumo Hong Lu, who very explicitly does not like to follow orders, still notably follows them anyway and is said to be good at doing so when push comes to shove.

It all ties back to Hong Lu's themes of freedom and control over his life, doesn't it?

#limbus company #limbus company project moon #hong lu #hong lu lcb #ishmael #ishmael lcb #roseate desire ego #lcb analysis #lu speaketh #anon #ask #i popped off on this one ngl

[lobotemi]

blind obsession

super excited to see what canto 5 brings for ishmael's character!!!

#project moon #limbus company #projmoon #artists on tumblr #my art #lcb #ishmael lcb #limbus fanart #lcb ishmael #you should kill yourself now

[ratlesshonret]

btw if anyone wants to try out an Ishmael they don't own, I have all of them on support at Uptie 4 Level 45. each of them have Snagharpoon, Roseate Desire, Ardor Blossom Star, and Blind Obsession at Uptie 4 as well. (i also have WRyoshu, PeqSang, and BLMeursalt with those requirements, but they don't have all the perfect EGO or whatever)

the point is. I have every ishmael with basically perfect specs. my friend code is M497839973 if you want them. i'll get around to accepting friend requests as soon as i can (i play daily so it shouldn't be an issue)

#limbus company #ishmael limbus company #ishmael lcb

[unma]

Here's That Heathcliff Ramble You All Wanted

Okay so forgive me for whatever inaccuracies are in here (and correct me if you notice any!) I'm simply sharing the mess of thoughts sitting in my head and while I'm sure this will be more organized by the time I take this out of Notepad and post it I don't promise it won't be obvious how much of a ramble this is. But okay let's go.

Heathcliff and Other!Heathcliff: One and the Same

No, this isn't a theory that Other!Heath is a future Heath or something. It's been made pretty obvious that isn't the case, given ids only pull from other worlds as far as I know. I will also not comment on how this happened; I am aware this (or something similar) happened in Leviathan, but I haven't read Leviathan so I am not aware of the specifics of how this works. Neither does that matter.

Now, to get into my point, I first need to compare this Canto's progression to the previous Canto's, Canto V. Some comparisons in terms of character development could also be made to Canto IV, but my understanding of that is limited and I need to replay it more, and Canto V is a much better comparison due to their similarities. You see, in Canto VI and V, Heathcliff and Ishmael are mirrors of their respective antagonists. While in Ishmael's case, it is because her obsession with defeating Ahab was leading her down the path of becoming Ahab herself ("That bastard… has to be alive still."), for Heathcliff that is because Other!Heathcliff is literally him. In ever single way except for the world he originates from. Given that Ishmael's arc is about seeing that and changing for the better, you would expect Heathcliff to have a similar arc. You would expect their battles to progress the same, with Heathcliff overcoming his issues over the course of the battle acting as a show of their growth so far …right?

The Other!Heathcliff boss fight was great. Music was banging, fight was pretty damn fun and somewhat challenging, and my Shi Heathcliff was doing utterly nothing because I didn't want to stagger him (I have only two none base ids, and the other is a level 1 N. Corp Heath. I was not spending the next half hour in Luxcavation). But, back on track, during the fight I had the distinct feeling that unlike Ahab and Ishmael, there was literally no difference between the two. There was no character growth or sudden realization. You could switch the characters around and it'd be the exact same—hell, give Heath a couple more days and he'd be the exact same. This is even shown in how both of them can get the Deep Bereavement buff.

Where am I going with this? Well, I want to point out the end of their fights. Specifically their base EGO's changes. Ishmael's Snagharpoon was a representation of her undying hatred for Ahab and her obsessive focus on the goal of hunting Ahab down. Her striking Ahab down with the harpoon would be the realization of those efforts, but it would also cement her existence as an Ahab. It would show that she was truly willing to let herself be blinded by her obsession for revenge at the expense of those around her, and thus her striking down the whale after would be Ahab striking down the whale. However, in choosing to strike the whale instead of Ahab, she shows her ability to not let such an obsession completely overtake her; to follow her compass not with blind devotion but with a sharp understanding, like a great sailor. She has learnt to use her compass as a guide for a journey of her own making, not as a rule for where she must go. "This is how I will chart my own path…"

Heathcliff, on the other hand, does not have the meaning of his EGO change or evolve at the end of the battle. Instead, the meaning is further reinforced and revealed plainly for all to see, with the extra context of what Other!Heathcliff told him. "You… and everything that crushed me under their feet, built this wall between me and Cathy…" may include Hindley and Edgar, but ultimately they're only extras. The true meaning of the Bodysack is made literal as he proceeds to beat Other!Heathcliff to death with it, who, as we've established, is literally him. He is beating up himself with the sack. He is going to shove himself into the sack. And as the beating continues and extends past its usual duration, we see the envy outline fade and be replaced with wrath, and the damage counter changes to that of corrosion. He is not wielding the EGO. It is wielding him. This acts as a representation of how this battle has affected him; but unlike Ishmael who grew positively in her cutscene, Heathcliff is faller deeper and deeper into his already existing issues. Bodysack's envy assignment showed just how much he envied everyone else: he seems himself as an absolute wretch, the worst of the worst, and because he sees everyone as better than him, he journeys to better himself such that Cathy will acknowledge him. And yet, as the Envy fades to wrath, its meaning is not completely altered, only further revealed. He doesn't just envy others for not being as pathetic as he sees himself to be, he hates himself for being such a wretch. The bodysack isn't just meant for others. It's meant for the object of his hatred. Himself.

In killing Other!Heathcliff in such a manner, he cements himself as the same person, much like it would have been if Ishmael killed Ahab.

Here, I will shift a little to talk about Other!Heath, who I view as simply a more complete version of Heath. In the sense that he's already been through the entire book, his entire journey. He is Heath with the benefit (or demerit, I guess) of experience. And yet it's interesting how he's not even the slightest angry about losing. He doesn't just want to kill Heathcliff, not to just watch him fall into despair. He wants Heathcliff to come to the realization that he has: he is the wretch that murdered Cathy. He is the reason she was destined to be miserable. And for that sin, he deserves nothing worse than hell. Other!Heathcliff doesn't just want Heathcliff dead, he wants himself dead. He's not just journeying to other worlds to fulfil some hate boner. It's either he kills other Heathcliffs, or they kill him. There is no in-between. All Heathcliffs must die, and as long as they continue to die, he is fine with his own death.

There is another thing I would like to comment on, but only lightly, as I would like to wait for the reveal this Wednesday to complete my thoughts on it, but Heath's conversation with Carmen is interesting, specifically the point where he distorts. There, he affirms just how he sees himself: not as a human, but as a beast, something much lesser than a person. Such is the shape his distortion shall take, as said by Carmen and laid out by Heathcliff: "I shall become an infernal hound; snarling, tearing at the fabric of the City… And I will shove its remnants into this sack… and grate it across the broken earth." One cannot help but think this is a result of all the dehumanization he had gone through at the hands of Hindley. All the verbal abuse he suffered at the hands of everyone but Nelly and Catherine has been internalized, and this is the result.

Lastly, I would like to point out two things that came to me upon remembering the start of the book: Cathy died in childbirth from what I heard, and Ms. Heathcliff (I am unaware if her name is revealed in the book, I have either not reached that point or it never is) has yet to show up in this Canto to my knowledge. However, that is not what I want to talk about here. The thing is, Heathcliff owns dogs in the books. The hounds that threatened to bite Mr. Lockwood. And I can't help but think that his distortion would reference them, in some part. I know Heathcliff already has Telepole (which is sure to take on meaning given this Canto, especially its corrosion), but I doubt they would go the route of making his distortion straight up Telepole. That would be disappointed and honestly doesn't seem like what PM would do. Allow me this little bit of speculation, alright?

I think that's all I have to say for now. I can't wait to see what happens next honestly, so I'm kinda glad I have GBF Guild Wars to distract me until the next part is here. Feel free to share your thoughts in the notes! I may take a while to respond, but I promise I'll do so eventually! (Be patient with me, I have social anxiety and ADHD, admittedly self-diagnosed though.)

#unma rambles #limbus company #limbus heathcliff #limbus ishmael #tagging her too I guess since this post is at least half about her #limbus other!heathcliff #tagging him that because I have no idea what the fandom tags him as #long post #canto vi spoilers #canto vi #canto 6 spoilers #canto 6 #Turns out other!heath has a name now #Erlking Heathcliff

[arthri]

Ishmael - Blind Obsession

#limbus company #limbus ishmael #ishmael #project moon

[melonisopod]

If Bound King follows the same patterns as Blind Obsession...

Grand Welcome (BK EGO gift) is Pride/Blind Obsession is a Pride EGO

Bound King seems heavily associated with Red/Siltcurrent was heavily associated with Green

Green represented Ahab; the Pequod uniforms were green and Ahab also has green on her nameplate for cutscenes. Ishmael being overtaken by the heavily green-themed Abnormality symbolically represents her becoming Captain Ahab.

Red may turn out to be Hindley's color, and furthermore Red could be used to represent Heathcliff being overcome by revenge and the desire to become like Hindley, binding everyone and being bound in turn under the confines of his rule of the estate Wuthering Heights.

Just like Green overtaking Ishmael's Orange showed her descent into madness, Red overtaking Heathcliff's Purple could show his descent into madness.

#limbus company #bound king truly came out of nowhere and took us by surprise

[through-the-windowz]

"The waves... will lay waste to everything in our way."

i was playing limbus company earlier and remembered how sexy the blind obsession ego was, and i had this little brain fart. elliott sdv is a little sea guy with orange-ish hair... like ishmael...

inspo under cut

#does anyone see my vision... #its crazy elliott isn't even my fav bachelor #that goes to harvey #but hes quickly growing on me #stardew valley #limbus company #stardew valley elliott #rem fart

[call-of-ishmael]

Canto V and Ishmael's suicidal ideation

When the trailer for Canto V came out the narration over it and the tone gave me a lot of vibes of themes of suicidal ideation.

It wasnt present in the way id expect, but it was there and id like to talk about it

1. Her days prior to the Pequod

Ishmaels life before being a sailor isnt talked about much in her Canto, what we see though is pretty interesting

She expresses how she has come to hate the expectations, you work your ass off studying, getting degrees, applying to offices, to net you the job and life everyone says you should have.

A very interesting point to make is how she talks about it. The dread she feels as she expresses that thinking ahead thinking how this is gonna be her whole life, makes her feel empty.

"I didnt know if i wanted to die or if i just wanted my life to be different" [paraphrasing here] is a line we hear in this scene, however its followed up by her saying if she had to die somewhere itd be at the sea. She is unsure if what she wanted was to die, but her actions and thoughts point us that way, she frames it as where she wants her final resting place to be

2. The Pequod

Ishmael is from Ucorps Nest, The Great Lake should not be uncommon knowledge to the residents, a place full of monsters, where its known sailors who cant take it anymore jump into the waves to be free. And this is the place she wished to go to. She makes a desicion to join a ship that would take just about anyone to hunt whales.

In that gesture we see more of the previously mentioned thinking, she says shes not sure she wants to die but jumped into one of the most dangerous jobs around pretty quickly

In the Pequod she also experiences more trauma that leads her downwards even more, a controlling figure, molding everyone there into who they want them to be, a constant fear of death, endless fights against monsters, and eventually the loss of who she loved.

But its also a moment where we are shown, once she found some support, once she and Queequeg started working together towards a life goal she became determined to survive, she had a clear idea of where to go, a compass to follow. Before it was taken away.

3. Limbus Company, and Canto V

During the events of Limbus Company prior to Canto V we see Ishmael as a pretty driven person, she doesnt wanna die, at first, shes kept alive by a singular goal to find Ahab

By 4.5 and V we see this is, again, a self destructive endeavor

Her unique status effect "Compulsion" during the chapter is a way to communicate shes hurting herself constantly during this Canto, her usual ability to keep calm to not be consumed by her fears, worries, obsessions and compulsions falls apart

Ishmael at many points doesnt seem like she wants to come back alive, she willingly enters into the body of the whale only knowing she has something that can delay pallidification, not having a good plan to escape. She constantly tosses herself into danger, not caring how she gets hurt.

One of the more interesting tidbits is entering the dungeon. The first EGO gift she gains, exclusively applying effects to her, is a noose.

Its a culmination of the message, shes been hurting herself this whole time, she charges ahead, to kill that bastard, to kill Ahab. If she dies, its fine by her

And then the turning point is on the CG used for this section, another blatant gesture of letting her own life go, letting the membrane form around her, letting herself be consumed.

When shes broken out out the membrane it mirrors queequeg saving her in the past, the person who made her think of the future for once, to WANT to have a future.

Its the moment she realizes the sinners have been there for her, she has blinded herself to not think of any of the good moments, not even the ones she had with Queequeg.

She realizes shes not alone anymore

And she wants to live, somehow, she might not know how, but that hasnt stopped her before

Her compass is curiosity after all, she will find her path.

#cw sui mention #cw sui ideation #cw suicide #limbus company #ishmael lcb #ishmael limbus company #canto v spoilers

[azoosepted]

Something with Fluid Sac Don and Blind Obsession Ishmael? (Wabber egos goooo)

ver y messy sketch but, she in awe of my anchor

#ishdon #anzu draw requests

[applepies-and-starlight]

...so I completely forgot that (2) (more) people were interested in Siltcurrent. (Akuma!Ishmael)

Anyway I'm gonna be posting the text under cut because. It's A Lot. And there's a 10 image limit so I can't just screenshot my ramblings

Some Context for LCB moots/readers who have not seen MLB: Akumas are butterflies made by the show's villain (Hawkmoth) who target people experiencing negative emotions, usually said emotions influence how their villain self acts and what their powers are

Extra context for anyone confused: basically a while back I made an AU where Ishmael is the Ladybug (Scarlet Ardor) and Don is the Black Cat (Chatvalier). The aim of the game is bringing glory to yuriville here Also note that they're both in university in a modern AU where we aren't in the shitfest called the City for obvious reasons

Mid edit apple: now should probably be a good time to mention the entire context of the scenario here is that Ishy tries to confess to Don, gets rejected (as Ishmael) and accepted (as Ardor) at the same time. So in attempt to logic away her hurt she tries to figure out why Don likes Ardor better (Ishmael knows Don is Chatvalier (accidental); Don does not know Ishy is Ardor) but in doing so she attracts an Akuma and turns into Siltcurrent thanks faust

Mid edit apple 2: i'd like to clarify that 90% of these writings were written at 3am while i was delirious on sleep deprivation with all of my impulse controls dead on the floor

(Writings will be indented; ramblings will be in bullet points)

So! Siltcurrent! Ishmael Akuma!!

Akumatized late at night (roughly 11pm maybe) but it isn't noticable for the first few days

Illusion subset of powers; Siltcurrent conjures up a form of Ardor to try to keep up some form of normalcy

Omori vibes; as in, everything seems normal but there is something Wrong

Physiology:

Half-blind; Siltcurrent can only identify colors and vague shapes

Exception is Chatvalier/Don, she knows Exactly what to look for and it's Very Hard to trick her

Because Dream Devouring Siltcurrent reference, flouresents!

Bandages. Everywhere. Especially in the heart area

The bandage covering her chest is trying to hide a wound that looks like a lance ran through it

Constantly crying, like deadass her tears are flooding the place

Basically she looks like that fucked up Blind Obsession mer KoishiJSM drew

Oh, yeah, have I mentioned this fucker can break into your dreams?

It gently held her hands, adoration and malice waging war in its one visible eye, both combining into a new emotion that could only be possibly described as obsession.

"I love you," it said, gently kissing above her eye "I love hate love hate love hate..."

Its near-fanatical murmurs eventually petered out into a low whine, resting its head in the crook of her neck.

"You ruin me. Ruin me so much... I hate it I hate it, love you hate you love it love it please keep going please please please..."

(^^ this is a dream sequence; coincides with the last point i made)

(Siltcurrent keeps visiting don's dreams because her horrible compulsion keeps making her do it, otherwise she'd go even more insane for not acting on said compulsions)

Akuma has killed her impulse control so her intrusive thoughts are running rampant

She has at least enough self control to not go... Too Far, at least

(This lack of impulse control from "Ishmael" and "Ardor" is one of the things that tip off Don that something's wrong because honestly she's pretty smart despite what others say)

Very Avoidant of Don (as "Ishmael")

Like. Yk how ayano's like in yansim? Yeah basically

Mild yandere(?) mode now that i think of it

Like. She sees that Don's given someone else more attention than usual too and immediately tracks them down before pestering them about her (mainly like. Asking why she's been around them more, if they learned anything about her during their interactions, etc etc; comes off as overbearing and creepy)

It causes people to steer clear of don because nobody wants to deal with "ishmael"

This one needs screenshots i can't do it justice otherwise

Queequeg's..... Somewhere.

I don't know what exactly happens I just know the end result is that Ahab did A Thing and now our sailor has Trauma. Yk, usual limbus shit

Whatever the fuck happened broke Queequeg and her apart

Idk what it is exactly (could be death or other circumstance, probably the latter because.. cool leg) but whatever it is caused her to not quite. Open Up™ as a defense response

"I've been burned once, I don't want to be burned again"

"Don't go... don't go..."

Torrents of water began to fall from the sky, as if a god had punctured a hole in the clouds. Flooding the place and dragging her under.

"Please don't go..."

The thing pressed its body against her, eye searching for any reaction she had

"Empty... so empty... why do I keep breaking?"

"Why am I always hurt?"

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Don woke up again, managing to stifle a shout before she ended up waking the entire household.

(She swore she heard a choked sob off in the distance)

(^^ This one's a little rougher, but also another dream sequence)

(Side note: this one and the previous one were in italics because i used italics to distinguish my writing from my rambling in those entries and i'm too lazy to deitalicize them)

Ardor tentatively stepped towards Chatvalier, smile too stiff to be sincere; too wide to be human, her blue eyes desperately searching for something as she lifted a hand, only to awkwardly let it flop beside her.

(Her eyes were supposed to be green; a near-golden shade of olive that reminded Chatvalier of the first leaves heralding fall.)

"Hey, Chatvalier." Ardor spoke, her voice barely above a whisper yet still carrying through the space between them. "I..."

"Release Lady Ardor at once."

"Ardor's" smile faltered, her hands trembling with some deep-seated emotion.

"Chat, please." Its voice cracked as it took more steps towards the cat, "It's me, It's really-"

"Silence, wretch." Chatvalier spat, lowering her stance and pointing her staff at it. "Thou shall not decieve me; release her at once."

Its smile vanished completely, a tear sliding down its cheek.

Then, with a booming roar, a mighty wave crashed down on the fake.

(^^ beginning of what I like to call "Act 2", basically Don figures out Ishy's gotten Akumatized and something's Wrong with Ardor but instead draws the conclusion that Ishy kidnapped Ardor she mentioned she loved Ardor)

(Don't ask how I know my middle english I don't remember either (and if its janked anywhere please tell me))

Fun fact i originally used cur instead

But then i remembered the word wretch existed and went "yeah that's more in line with an absolutely pissed off Don"

"What do you want from me?!" The Akuma wailed, its head whipping around as it tried to find the flash of gold it so dearly adored, "Why are you doing this to me?!"

It screamed as it felt something stab into its tail, twisting around and throwing Chatvalier off of it, trying to shake off the pain from its mutilates tail

"Have I not told you, cur?" She shouted back, flourescent blood staining her boots as righteous fury burned in her eyes.

"Thou hath harmed mine lady, and it is mine duty to deliver retribution onto thee!"

(^^ I can't fucking figure out how I want the last line to go)

(The tail stabbing is a minor nowhere is north reference lmao; one of my drafts for siltcurrent's appearance is that she has twisted legs for a tail ala Mili's bathtub mermaid art)

Chatvalier watched in both horror and morbid fascination as the akuma writhed on the ground, screaming in frustrated agony as it clawed against its bandages, the fight all but forgotten.

"I DON'T HAVE ARDOR! I CAN'T GIVE HER BACK TO YOU!" It screamed at Chatvalier, tears overflowing as its voice went hoarse, "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO?! WHAT DO I DO?! TELL ME!"

Before she could even formulate a response, or even a short quip, it dug its claws into itself, a guttural roar ripping out of its throat before a sickening thump landed on the rooftop.

A still beating heart rested at Chatvalier's feet.

(^^ something possessed me to write this and it just. Ended up becoming an important thing in my outline)

(Discord between me and @/scriptum-pandemonium (tell me if i you want these off tbe post pls))

Speaking of here's more stuff (spoilered because body horror (vague) which i added because. C'mon, this is a limbus au, i should be able to ramp up the violence to blood and (some) gore levels)

Hell yeah up the gore and horror

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THE HEART

:>

■■■

Delulu this akuma just has multiple hearts, octopus time

Honestly my original idea is that like, through magic bullshit she's still perfectly ok (still in pain because. Literally ripping your heart out. But. Y'know.)

If I may build on the banger lines you put down, maybe when it's over donqui pulls Ishmael in for a long hug just so she can hear the beating of Ishmael's heart in her own chest

:0

(Shoutout to Blue and the gang at Halcandra btw this was largely inspired by Magiajam)

Shaky, labored pants filled the silence between them. The villain's hair - Ishmael's hair, shadowed its face.

Only its eye was visible; the eye looking at her with so much manic hate, sadness, obsession...

Love.

The heart continued to faintly beat.

"Take it." She gasped, a bloodied claw gingerly covering the gaping, bleeding hole in her chest, "just take it and leave."

Chatvalier couldn't. How could she, anyhow? Anyone who saw such a grosteque sight would be paralyzed in shock, too.

A small sniffle snapped her out of her spiral, looking up to find the akuma desperately trying to wipe its tears away.

"Please..." it hiccuped, desperately trying to steady its breathing.

Then, a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry-"

It started wailing again, babbling a thousand apologies at once as it began to crawl back to the waves.

"I'msorryIcan'tbeherI'msorryIdon'tknowwhyyouloveherI'msorryIcan'terasetheuglymeandbebeautifulforyouI'msorryyouhavetoseemeuglyI'msorryI'mnotperfectforyou-"

Somewhere through the storm of sorrow, Chatvalier found that her feet had tried to bring her to the villain; to Ishmael.

But when she raised a hand to try and stop her, she was already gone.

All that was left was a patch of flourescent, bloodied water, and a single glass shard.

(^^ arguably one of my favorites; I am in so much pain!)

[...] sorry for being not ardor, for being ugly, for not being perfect [...]

It's been a few days since her confession. Ishmael has gotten over the rejection. Definitely. Yeah. It wasn't like... it wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything. She and Don were still friends. (Right?) (Right...) (....hopefully.) No, the self reflection notes weren't about Don. She was just... curious about herself. Yeah, that's it. Nothing to do with how she told her that she reserved her heart for Ardor. (She didn't even question it; she knew Don was Chatvalier, her annoying, endearing, ever loyal partner, who'd gladly throw herself into harm's way if it meant she'd be safe.) Nope. This was only because she saw a curious ad on the internet. A few days ago. (What did she do differently as Ardor?) She checked her notes again; a list of traits she'd describe herself as, another one for the her with the mask. (She impulsively checked her phone for the time.) (A small part of her scolded her for getting distracted so quickly.) What made her and Ardor different? What did she lack outside of the mask. She was just curious; absolutely nothing to do with the proverbial daggers in her heart. Nothing to do with impressing the girl who stole her heart. It's fine. She's fine. She isn't hung over it. It doesn't hurt. Does not hurt at all. Not in the slightest. In fact, she's over the rejection. She's perfectly fine! Just great. Peachy, even. Everything will go back to what it was tomorrow. She shouldn't be fretting over this, the weekends should be enjoyed right? So yes, she's fine. Nothing to worry about. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't... ... "Good evening, Siltcurrent."

(^^ this one's big, I just kinda gave up on editing this to fit tumblr format here)

(Anyway this is me trying to portray OCD and may or may not be me somewhat venting/projecting)

[...] Ishmael desperately trying to logic it together because she's fine it's not even a total rejection, Don Quixote just loved her hero self and not her ordinary self

[...] donqui is a bit self conscious because here she is, rejecting one of her best friends because of a what must seem like a celebrity crush that could never happen

[....] personally I like to think after the Realization™ (figuring out chalier was donqui) Ish started seeing her in a different light [...]

■■■

[...] theres something sad in Ishmael being the only one that realizes the truth, because Ishmael's been the one to see the entirety of Donqui as both a civ and chatvalier, yet Donqui can't because she thinks of ish as two separate people

Part of her is confused as to why Donqui sees it as that (she and Ardor are technically the same person right? They can't be *that* different)

The rest is just. Hurt. And is trying to grasp on straws to logic it away

■■■

Donqui loves ARDOR, which means she could've loved you but she didn't. Because you didn't win her over. Because YOU did something as Ardor so that Ishmael could never compete

Because it is "what does he have that I don't, what can he promise you that I won't" but to yourself

"Ishmael" is borderline manic 90% of the time (like, has the vibes that 1 wrong move will suddenly make her start laughing like a madman before she decks you)

She sometimes gets mental breakdowms over not being able to complete her goal (obtain the miraculous; [Acherontia] assures her that that isn't important right now

Doesn't really help much it just stops her immediate crying and makes her internalize the guilt more

This + her core motivation + everyone now looking at her weirdly compounds into siltcurrent just. Fucking flooding the entire place with her tears (this is when act 2 starts)

Ishmael hovered awkwardly at the edge of the door, practically hiding behind it with the way she positioned herself. "...uh, hey-" She barely started talking before Don was crashed into her, wrapping her arms around Ishmael's waist as she buried her head into her chest. (She could hear the gentle heartbeat under Ishmael's clothes; soft, but steady.) (Strong.) She felt Ishmael flinch at the sudden gesture, but she couldn't find herself to care. "I- woah, now." Ishmael stammered, awkwardly patting Don's head in a subtle attempt to pry her off, "Was... was I really that bad? I know Akumas don't last longer than a day, but..." She trailed off, her ears finally picking up on shallow, stifled gasps as she felt something wet on her shirt. She instinctively wrapped an arm around her, rubbing gentle circles on her back as Don tried to hold back her tears. "Hey, it's okay... I'm okay now." She mumbled, still somewhat awkward from the chain of events, "whatever happened to me is over now, yeah? I'm better now." (She didn't know that Don knew who she was, unaware that a blinded mermaid had begged her to know why it wasn't loved without a mask.) (She didn't know that Chatvalier stood on the roof of a building, holding a bloody, heartless body. Desperately trying to ignore the gaping wound in favor of pretending her Lady was simply asleep.) (If she convinced herself that the blood wasn't real, then perhaps...)

(^^ epilouge scene, basically)

(There are Consequences to gouging out your heart)

Me, at 3am, high on sleep deprivation: i know this is a kid's show, but you know? We've never seen an akumatized villain that was terribly injured detransform before the Cure kicked in

Lady Sonata ex machina I can't have yuri if one of them is dead

The peacock can literally make life from a will and a way ans G is more than competent enough to make ladybug and cat senti-copies to emergency stand in incase one gets incapacitated (also i want a pun on Ardor (Ardoll... heh))

#void screaming #long post #scarlet ardor and chatvalier au #ramblings #writings #fucking hell this took 2 days to compose and compile #i gave up trying to fit it into tumblr's format at the end #it's 2:30am #if it wasn't obvious scriptum is in orange #also i edited some messages specifically so i could get to their points

[offshore-brinicle]

Ishmael and Heath will probably have the shared theme of: revenge can and will warp you into something you're not, possibly making you just like those that have harmed you in the past

Can't think of anything for Heath and Don, unfortunately, but I do have something else

Don and Hong Lu: playing a character, an exaderation of the self for the sake of others.

This is mostly bc of Don's Shi identity wherein she acts more outgoing for the sake of her subordinates and Hong Lu's naivety [contrasted by his surprising emotional intelligence]. Of course they are probably also Like That usually, but have made a shallower version of themselves to show and fool others.

Yeah it was pretty obvious that Heathcliff and Ishmael were bound together by their obsession with revenge hence Heathcliff being the Sinner who understands Ishmael the best despite not getting along, but after the Christmas event and how he actually thinks about the whole ordeal it got me kind of...doubting? Despite him being driven by revenge in the book the way he's portrayed in Limbus is def much tamer and softer compared to his book counterpart.

Ishmael is much more blinded by revenge than Heathcliff is, of course this is partly because she thought Queequeg to be dead but even in the dungeon she can't let go of her wish to kill Ahab, and it's consuming her and destroying her, while Heathcliff can't stop thinking about Cathy and the type of abuse he suffered at Wuthering Heights is different from the cultlike struggle at The Pequod, with a repeating cycle of abuse and loss befalling the estate, so I feel like it can go a lot of ways.

Actually like Gregor, Rodion & Sinclair's chapters are grouped together, I feel like Yi Sang, Ishmael and Heathcliff are a similar case, all three of them are closely associated with rain, hell Heathcliff's chapter have us going back to T Corp when it was an important part of Yi Sang's dungeon so it makes me wonder how all of that is coming back since the two previous chapters also emphasize grief + Queequeg's speech about "burials" with how Heathcliff is associated with graves and even gets an ID as Queequeg.

As for Don and Heathcliff, maybe they are both blinded by ideals in some ways, Don is such a strong believer in her own fantasy justice while Heathcliff despite blantantly despising the rich also wishes to become one of them thinking that like that he and Cathy can be together and he won't have to be so deeply haunted anymore, but the reality is not quite as simple going by both the original book and how PM works tend to be.

Don and Hong Lu's connection was a VERY good catch though I actually hadn't thought of that. Specially since Don seems to have some kind of connection to obsessively "reaching a star" and Hong Lu's EGO of "land of illusion". They also share the theme of the difference between reality and illusion that is pretty clear for Don and the Don Quixote book and while I haven't read Dream of The Red Chamber because it's difficult access and length I heard also deals with the difference between the genuine and the disingenuous both in the more human, literal way and in a more philosophical and metaphisical way. They are both fake people whether they realize this or not.

#project moon #limbus company #lcb Heathcliff #lcb Ishmael #lcb Don Quixote #lcb Hong Lu

[art-blogge]

pink thing, cut it down Now

There was a level of caution required when handling any E.G.O. or associated gift. They knew this. There had been enough errors with the Sinners before, enough headaches and everything else-aches to last them a lifetime. They KNEW this.

So when Faust left them for the night, leaving them alone with an E.G.O. to finish Threadspinning, they hesitated on touching it. They knew better than this. If anything happened to them- Their clock, more accurately- It was over for the team.

And yet.

And yet… They had to fall to curiosity eventually. Better this than something like Blind Obsession. A nice, low-ranked EGO that the team-- No. The Sinners knew how to handle easily.

Better write this down before committing.

---- "It's like they vanished!" Rodion exclaimed, broadly gesturing to the office. She hadn't been the first to notice the Manager's absence, but she Was the second loudest. The first loudest would be pummeled for yelling this early in the morning. The first loudest was also snooping around the office, peering in all sorts of places for her missing Manager Esquire. Nope, not in the vent. Nope, not under the desk. Nope, not between the desk and the wall.

"Impossible. They did not leave the Mephistopheles," Faust plainly stated, glancing upwards before walking away. Rodion stared after her while Ishmael irritably huffed.

"She knows something."

"Of course she does, Ishy. She wouldn't be Faust if she didn't."

The two went back to watching Don Quixote check increasingly illogical spots.

"You know, Ishy, Dante left a report behind before going poof."

"Yeah, I saw it. Messing around with an E.G.O.? Have they lost their mind?"

"You're not the bloody paragon of rationality either, lassie."

"Shut up, bastard."

----

An indeterminate amount of time later, Don Quixote had given up exploring, allowing Ishmael and Rodion to check the actually reasonable spots the room offered. She was exhausted, having wasted all of her limited energy on running back and forth. Not really caring if she was in the way, Don Quixote flopped onto her back on the cool carpet.

Ishmael cared Very Much, and started to drag Don Quixote out of the room by the leg. She didn't stop for anything- Not Don Quixote's sudden "AH-HA!" or announcement that she'd been struck with… Whatever the rest of that sentence was.

This left Rodion alone, and she looked up.

"I wasn't gonna hide you forever, Dante. Can't you come down here?"

And gently down they came from the ceiling, lowered by the pink ribbons strapped to every feasible part of them. They didn't quite touch the ground, the Pink Shoes seemingly avoiding a landing.

<"Rodya, I don't want to work,"> Dante quietly ticked. They and the Pink Shoes could do anything they desired. And right now, what Dante desired most was… Taking a break.

Rodion gently pat Dante as they plopped their head on her shoulder. She couldn't relate to Dante completely, but she was an excellent bluffer.

"I know, Dante. We're not going to. Hey, could you make a hammock out of those?"

----

"Rodion, this is absolutely insubordination! Using an E.G.O. in this manner?! Without the Executive Manager's--"

"Chill out, grandma!" Rodion interrupted Outis' bootlicking smoothly, causing Outis to fail the rest of the coin flips and the encounter overall. "Dante's right here. The hammock was my idea but they did it!"

Dante sat up slightly and gave Outis a giddy wave to prove Rodion correct.

<"Hello, Grandma Outis! We're taking a break today! It's quite nice! Very nice!"> they chirped, tilting their head. Pink flames got into Rodion's face, giving her a single count of Offense Down as she fanned them away.

Before Outis could finish regaining her composure from that Stagger, Dante continued speaking, going from cheerful chirps to quick ticks mid-sentence.

<"I don't have to feel like a tool!">

A pause, and then a growl that naturally wouldn't come from their mechanical head.

<"Or all of you idiot's endless pain over and over and ov--">

"Thaaaat's enough, Dante!"

Rodion smacked Dante on the back of the head, completely derailing their train of thought. That didn't stop them from speaking anyway.

<"Anyway, you should join us! I'd like you to! Are you going to deny your Manager?">

Even if Outis believed she had a choice, she absolutely didn't. Lust 31 heads vs 20 Pride heads. Get over here!

----

"Do you mean to tell me one inexperienced Sinner has managed to incapacitate seven others, Faust?"

"Yes. Dante seems to be very adept at controlling this E.G.O., even though they have been handling it for over two hours. There has not been a Sanity drop of more than five since use began."

"You're really tellin' us it's that bloody bad? Why don't you go deal wit' it?"

"Why don't you, Heathcliff?"

And so, Heathcliff groaned and dragged himself out of his seat. Fine. Fine! He'd be the guinea pig again! Whatever those were.

Two slams on the office door with his fist.

"Like it or not, I'm comin' in there!"

The door swung open before he could threaten to break it down.

The Sinners Dante had "incapacitated" were sitting around the room, engaged in various small talk unless their name was Outis. Outis had Actually been incapacitated, strung up and tied down to the chair for her crime of refusing to relax on a work day. That Bind would take a few more turns to wear off if she kept fighting it.

<"Hi, Heathcliff!!"> chimed Dante, scaring Heathcliff by dropping in front of him like a spider in an old mansion. <"Welcome! I don't wanna work so we're not doing that!! Come on in! There's a very cheap fee!">

"Uh," was all Heathcliff could respond with, stepping in before fully realizing the rest of what Dante said.

"What fee?"

Heathcliff was given a tight hug from Dante as a response. See, that he could do. That he could do real good!

"Eight," stated Faust from down the hall, unmoved from her last spot and cleaning glasses that belonged to her 7 Identity while watching vitals. "Physical contact made. Offense Level Down by five."

Vergilius sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Once a nuisance, always a nuisance. First them, now Dante. Nuisance. They were lucky they were otherwise tolerable.

----

It wasn't long before all of the Sinners barring Faust were present, not even attempting to work. Dante in particular had stolen Meursault's coat and planted themselves tightly between Yi Sang and Gregor. It was nice. It was warm. They weren't hurting. They were being treated like a person. Had reaching their desires always been this easy?

No.

Dante shook their head. They couldn't fully fall to it. That's how they'd Corrode, and then the fun would be over. They knew this, and the Abnormality seemed to know this too. Some of the mental pressure lifted, letting Dante relax again. Better. They wouldn't mind staying here like this for a while.

They didn't get to stay there long, instead being pulled out of the warmth and into the air.

"Did you think this through, Danteh?"

<"Hi Vergie!!!"> Dante chimed, genuinely pleased to see Vergil. A few Sinners suppressed laughter at Dante's cutesy nickname.

<"Are you joining us? You are, right? Please?">

Dante reached out to try and hug Vergil, only to be foiled by Vergil's arm being longer than theirs- They couldn't reach.

"I don't know what you said, but no. End this."

Dante drooped the way an undernourished plant would, in a way easily called sad.

"This madness needs to end, Executive Manager!" shouted Outis, finally freed from her bindings by Faust. Dante didn't respond to her, instead slowly turning to stare at Faust.

For a few moments they said nothing, like they were studying her. She did the same back, causing a net gain of nothing.

<"Faust. I desire answers."> Dante plainly ticked, already knowing the answer they were going to get.

"No. Kill Faust over it."

Before any Sinners could blink, Faust was bound in ribbons and brought close to Dante. They'd moved… Surprisingly quickly, even considering Vergil was holding them by the ribbons.

<"I don't want to kill you. I refuse. The Abnormality wants blood but I don't.">

Faust was then simply released. The only damage done had been to the smoothness of her sweater, which she fixed. She then looked to Vergil, who hadn't moved. He wasn't affected by Urge, but his Offense Level had certainly tanked from maintaining unprotected contact with a ribbon. She'd have to deal with this herself.

As soon as Dante looked away, she withdrew Walpurgisnacht and slashed through the ribbons Vergil was holding. That was enough to snap him out of whatever light trance he'd been under- A mistake on his part that he knew he'd never hear the end of. Instead of dwelling on that, he went with the flow and took out his own sword. Dante's blare of displeasure went ignored by both of them.

"That's the end of that, it seems," Meursault observed while moving to the side, "We are beginning an Abnormality Suppression."

<"But I don't want to!"> Dante complained, crossing their arms with some difficulty. They didn't seem to realize that THEY were the one about to be suppressed. They looked around for the "Abnormality" and saw nothing but Friends and Ribbons. Dante wasn't at all concerned with the Sinners withdrawing weapons- Why would they be? The Sinners would never target them. They wouldn't. The clock was too important. More important than they would ever be. They weren't important. They--

--They noticed some Sinners slowly edging out of the room, intending to make space for the other Sinners to fight. This caused an immediate train horn to erupt from them as they combination swung and leapt across the room to try and block the door.

<"You're leaving?! Please don't. I don't want to be alone!">

"We will be in your sights, Manager Esquire!" Don Quixote announced after slipping past them, sitting down in the hallway. Dante COULD still see her if they turned their head enough. She was right. They weren't alone if they were in sight… Right?

Someone cut down another ribbon, making Dante whip back around in anger.

<"You're all just going to leave! I won't let you!">

Faust was bound a second time that day, this time far tighter than before. Don Quixote rushed back in to pull her down, pleasing Dante. She came back! Everyone was here!

Time to block the door!!

Ribbons were pulled away from the room and into the doorway, blocking it off. Sinner complaints got completely ignored.

<"Now no one can leave me alone!"> Dante chirped, unaware of how awful that sounded, <"I can't lose anyone if no one leaves!">

Heathcliff groaned and Gregor shook his head. Outis firmly placed her gaze towards the wall and Sinclair did the same.

"Insubordination!" Ishmael announced before launching her harpoon. It cut through several of Dante's left arm ribbons, freeing it and letting it fall limp. Dante shrieked on impact as if the harpoon had impaled them, curling in on themselves as if that'd numb the pain.

<"No no no no no no please no! I don't want to hurt! I don't want to fight! Please no! Please please please!">

They were losing. They were struggling to hold onto coherent thought, the Pink Shoes threatening to win out. The Sinners were all staring at them with the intent to fight (or so Dante believed). One more try to appeal.

<"Please. I don't want any of you to leave. I don't have anyone else. I don't know if I had anyone else. I don't know. I don't know. I don't….">

The ribbons around Dante tightened, eliciting a loud whine from their head. It hurt! It hurt it hurt it hurt!

Oil tinged with pink started leaking from their head like tears. Oh! That was new! They'd never gotten to cry before!

"Should we really be doin' this?" Heathcliff asked uncertainly. He'd definitely heard the way Dante had been talking about themselves recently, and he wanted no part of it. He knew how it felt to be treated like this.

Sinclair raised his hand.

"Manager, you're hurting Faust!"

Dante whipped around to see, and then immediately released her again.

<"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I don't know why that happened! I don't….">

"Now!" someone shouted, and several weapons tore through Dante's ribbons with ease. In the brief moment before hitting the ground, Dante hoped the clock would take more damage than they would. They didn't remember anything else after impact.

--------

"-Severe lacerations. Physical damage to the outside of the clock but none to the internal mechanisms or the hands."

Faust was reporting the incident over the radio when Dante finally showed signs of life- Pulling the blanket they'd been wrapped in over their head to hide their shame. Faust seemed to pause seeing this, causing Dante to peek back out.

"Get that off of your head. You'll overheat."

With that said, Faust went back to reporting.

"I'd like to forward a request for time off--."

"We're getting a break?!" yelled Rodion as she jumped up, sending Gregor to the floor where he thought he belonged.

"Finally! We shalth journey forth not as a company but as do-gooders! And we shalth obtain treasures such as this ice cream!"

Faust stared at them. This wasn't enough, so Vergil cleared his throat. The two loudest Sinners instantly shut up.

"Faust is sorry about the interruptions. As I was saying…"

Faust was sure to step outside this time so she couldn't be interrupted.

"I would like to request time off so that Dante does not mentally break more than they already have. They have finally reached their limit…. Yes, of course. I always keep an eye on them. Could you also request that the current team not be moved to other projects once we've finished- No, no. This is not Faust's idea. You understand. Thank you. I will be in touch again soon."

Call finished, Faust got back onto the Mephistopheles.

"Sad lonely little gremlin bloke," Heathcliff teased, poking Dante's better shoulder, "Soppin' wet bloke who does fuck-all."

<"Piss off, you rabbit,"> Dante teased back before lightly headbutting Heathcliff. <"Dodge this.">

"Oh, good, we're finally killing him," Ishmael added before coming in hot with a pool noodle. Dante only knew what this was because of an incident involving Don Quixote (of course), Charon, and a flooded bathroom.

Outis looked up from wrapping Sinclair's arm wound but said nothing, instead scowling as the younger Sinners started roughhousing right there in front of her.

Also saying nothing was Yi Sang, standing nearby as his seat was currently occupied. He had nothing to add and so added nothing, simply glad to be there and not be beat on mercilessly. He got hit with a pool noodle several times after that as if karma had it out for him specifically. He didn't mind all that much. The karma was Ryoshu, angered about something-or-other, pool noodle on her sword in a brave attempt to stay nonlethal.

Hong Lu attempted to gift Dante a roll of present wrapping ribbon, much to Outis' dismay and Dante's amusement.

"Clockface can be our Christmas tree," Charon muttered, sticking a ribbon bow onto Dante's head.

Vergil kept watching, mostly focused on Dante as they laughed like bell chimes. Tolerable, he'd say if asked.

And if Dante was asked? This was their family. This is exactly where they belonged.

#limbus company #writing tag #project moon #all sinners present for once. all of them. at least ONCE #dante lcb